Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have today opened the inaugural ACI-ICAO Wildlife Strike Hazard Reduction Symposium, taking place 16–18 May 2017, in Montreal, Canada. This partnership builds on the solid foundation of ACI-ICAO initiatives to improve aviation safety, enhance security, and promote the sustainable development of the industry.

Entitled “A Global Strategy for Addressing Wildlife Strike Hazards to Aviation,” the Symposium aims to increase international awareness of the wildlife strike threat to aircraft operational safety; build an international community to exchange ideas, experiences and cooperative efforts to better mitigate wildlife strike hazards on and in the vicinity of airports; advance new technologies, and formulate effective strategies to prevent wildlife strikes to aircraft.

Speaking to a wide audience of States, airport operators, airlines, manufacturers and other aviation stakeholders, Hajime Yoshimura, President, Air Navigation Commission, ICAO and Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, opened the Symposium by addressing the regulatory and industry perspectives. The keynote speech was delivered by Capt. Jeff Skile, Co-Pilot, on the Hudson River Miracle.

“Wildlife strikes affect airports, small and large, in all regions of the world,” said Gittens. “It is both a risk to aviation safety and a financial burden; and it is through events such as this Symposium that stakeholders can work together toward global solutions. To help our member airports manage wildlife hazards, ACI offers guidance through the APEX in Safety programme; guidance material such as theWildlife Hazard Management Handbook; and, the ACI Global Training course on Wildlife Hazard Management and Prevention. We are committed to working with ICAO, regulators and the rest of the industry, to reduce hazards from wildlife strikes—a critical element in improving aviation safety.”

“Wildlife strikes can cause accidents and serious incidents, costing the aviation industry billions in losses due to aircraft damage, flight delays and other operational impacts,” commented Stephen Creamer, Director of ICAO’s Air Navigation Bureau. “All aviation stakeholders need to work together to formulate a global strategy to address these hazards, and this ICAO-ACI Symposium will be an important step in that journey.”

The next three days of the symposium will provide information on current and emerging technologies and techniques, identify best practices and allow for the exchange of practical ideas. The Symposium will also feature an industry exhibition to show the breadth of research and development activities as well as the latest tools.